Quick tip: naming patterns

Most Dutch parents followed a strict pattern when naming their children: the first son was named after the paternal grandfather, the second son after the maternal grandfather; the first daughter was named after the maternal grandmother and the second daughter after the paternal grandmother.

When you find a source that lists children in their birth order, this could be a big clue about the names of their grandparents. Even Dutch immigrants usually followed this pattern so the names of children born in another country could give a hint about the Dutch grandparents, even though the names may have been translated.

Keep in mind that there are exceptions to every rule though. My grandmother Gesiena Wilhelmina Woordes was not only named after her grandmother (Gesiena Leefferdink) but also after the queen (Wilhelmina), giving her two names like the rest of her siblings.

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Yvette Hoitink is a professional genealogist in the Netherlands. She has been doing genealogy for almost 25 years. Her expertise is helping people from across the world find their ancestors in the Netherlands. Read about Yvette’s professional genealogy services.

Comments

In 1847 the Nieuwendorp family from Dordrecht, Zuid Holland, emigrated to the frontier of the United States in the State of Iowa. Their 3 boys (Christiaan, Jacob and Hendrik) all had daughters, each named Lena Nieuwendorp, after their fraternal grandmother. Being the frontier of America, births, marriages and deaths were not officially recorded. Our family descends from Hendrik’s daughter. The only way we could determine this, was by looking at the names that each Lena gave to their first 4 children and matching them to the grandparents.